Episode 13: Cry of the Senses
Carossur Don lies and tells Margaret he was sent by Eric Gillan, who told him about her picture book. Don asks if the girl can read the language in the book, and when she shakes her head, he explains what Elies Characters are. Furthermore, he knows how to pronounce the words that make up the title of the picture book: they are “Sarkus Sark.” Margaret says the words are beautiful. Unbeknownst to her, she and Don are being watched by Naharu, who smiles and says, “Secondary.” In Gazth-Sonika, meantime, Madlax takes Vanessa back to her main base, a larger apartment with yellow-orange walls. Hanging on the wall is one of the pages of the picture book, and Vanessa asks about it, but doesn’t seem to know it’s part of the same book as the one Margaret treasures. Madlax can’t read any of the Elies characters and can’t remember where she got the page. Back in Nafrece, Carossur convinces Margaret to let him look at the picture book, provided that he returns it after he’s satisfied. As he flips through the book, Don realizes a page has been torn out, and seems shocked and almost outraged for a moment. He quickly moves on and find the page with the bloodstain on it. When he stares at it for a few long seconds, Don becomes hypnotized, and in that state, he hears a girl screaming, “Stop,” and the sound of a gunshot. Margaret calls the man back to reality, asking what’s wrong. Don asks if it’s true that Margaret has looked at the book and touched it many times before. She says yes. This is shocking to Carossur Don, who has never before met a person unfazed by the magic within the book. He asks who in the world Margaret really is, but the ditsy girl just repeats her name, completely unaware of what’s going on. Vanessa continues trying to unlock the data but has no clue about the password. Madlax asks why she believes so strongly in bringing the truth to light. In reply, Vanessa explains that her father was wrongfully accused of being one of the men who started the civil war in Gazth-Sonika. In reality, he did no such thing. The truth was cast into the darkness, and both Vanessa’s parents were restrained from being able to leave Gazth-Sonika. Vanessa doubts that they are still alive. Because of what happened to her parents, the determined woman decided to find out the real truths behind the civil war. After hearing Vanessa’s story, Madlax confesses she has a fragment of a memory about her father, and that she feels sure he is alive somewhere in Gazth-Sonika. That’s why she has remained in such a dangerous country. Vanessa is the first person Madlax has ever opened up to about this topic. She says she just felt like doing it. She seems pleased when Vanessa addresses her by name, and when she is given permission to use Vanessa’s first name. As Eleanor starts to worry about Ojou-sama, Carossur Don is in the process of giving the girl a ride home. He keeps asking about the picture book, leading Margaret to explain that she believes it was a gift from her father, but she can’t be certain because her memories are missing. She doesn’t even know what her father looked like. When Carossur confesses he is also missing some memories, Margaret says the two of them are “nakama,” meaning comrades or two of the same kind. Madlax barely remembers her father either. She tells Vanessa she only remembers seeing his back as he walked away, like we saw in the flashback in episode 1. She does recall that he was wearing a service uniform, but has no clue if he was a King's Army soldier or a foreign soldier or a mercenary. Looking sad, Madlax says she wants very badly to know who she is and how to find her father. Vanessa gives her a comforting embrace. When the two arrive at the Burton estate, Margaret tells Carossur that he can’t have the book before he can even ask to borrow it. The man reaches into his coat, and it looks like he’s about to draw a gun and demand to have the book, but Eleanor interrupts. Margaret thanks Don for the ride and goes upstairs. Before leaving, Carossur asks about Ojou-sama’s missing memories. Eleanor explains that when Margaret returned after being missing for months, she not only lost her memories, but also forgot how to speak. The only word she could say was “Madlax.” When Don hears that, he again looks shocked. Out in his car, Carossur thinks over everything he knows about Madlax, Vanessa, and Margaret, and seems to think everything is related. Without any explanation, he says that the bloodstain on the secondary was his blood, and that he will get it back. He holds his pistol up to his head and pulls the trigger twice, but both times, the rounds are empty. It’s unclear whether he actually intended to kill himself. At any rate, Friday calls him and asks for an update. Don says it’ll take time to catch Madlax. However, Friday can’t afford to wait, and says he will be using “that word” on Madlax. Three-Speed calls Madlax to warn her that any data stolen from Enfant will probably have traps set in it. At the same time, to Vanessa’s surprise and confusion, the password is mysteriously entered for her and the files are loading, getting ready to open. Sensing danger, Madlax shoves Vanessa away from the computer and stands in front of it herself, just as the files open and the words “Elda Taluta” appear all over the screen. Madlax becomes frozen in shock as a vision plays in her head. A little girl is in a dark, war-stricken town, holding a gun, with her father lying dead on the ground next to her. The little girl keeps calling to her dad, and asking, “What’s this?” as she holds the gun. The girl looks like it could be either young Madlax or young Margaret—or both. The form of Leticia is also substituted for Madlax/Margaret, suggesting she is connected to identities as well. Naharu sneaks into Margaret’s room through the window and attempts to take the picture book, which the girl is holding in her sleep. Margaret’s hand shoots out and grabs Naharu’s wrist, stopping her from taking the book. However, she doesn’t open her eyes, and seems to be acting in her sleep. She speaks quite clearly, saying, “If you take this book, I will kill you. I will kill you.” This is the first time Margaret has seemed even remotely dangerous. Now she has a deathly grim aura that convinces Naharu to retreat. Far away, Lord Kuanjitta looks up a red moon, and says that the moon will soon change. (Way later, in episodes 25 and 26, when the door to the other world is opened, two moons appear in the sky: one crimson and one blue. This is what Kuanjitta was talking about.) Preview Episode 14 "In a place, that cannot be comprehended consciously, I tell myself: Go, cast off your veil of lies, only then will you be able to find the truth." – Madlax